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Three traffickers convicted for forced scamming

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Three traffickers convicted for forced scamming

Nine people from Indonesia – who IJM helped police bring to safety from forced online scamming in Cambodia – have just received justice.

March 2023

Forced scamming has become a severe problem in Southeast Asia.

Thousands of people have been deceived by false job offers and trafficked to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines.

Trapped inside guarded compounds, workers are forced to scam people worldwide with fake romance - also known as 'pig butchering scams' - or investment opportunities.

Thanks to your support, IJM is on the frontlines working to stop it.

Nine people from Indonesia – who IJM helped bring to safety from forced scamming in Cambodia – have just received justice.

Three traffickers were convicted, and one was ordered to pay compensation to the survivors.

“My wife will soon give birth, so I really depend on this compensation because I did not receive any salary when I worked in Cambodia,” said Moris*, one of the survivors.

Moris and the other Indonesian workers were deceived by false job offers and trafficked to Cambodia in early 2022.

When they arrived, their passports were confiscated and they were trapped in a guarded compound.

They were forced to create fake social media profiles, targeting wealthy, older people worldwide to invest in cryptocurrency.

Some of the workers were physically punished for not meeting their targets.

They were trapped for months until IJM and police brought them to safety and helped them return to Indonesia. The survivors are now moving on with their lives and hoping for better days ahead.

Supported by people like you, IJM has collaborated with Cambodian National Police and partners to bring more than 100 people like Moris to safety in the past 18 months.

Together, we can stop this exploitation for good.


*pseudonym

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About Stories see more
Forced scamming: "I was scared for my life."

Gavesh* from South Asia, whose story is featured in the new BBC Three documentary 'Hunting the Catfish Crime Gang', shares in his own words how he was tricked, trafficked, trapped – and eventually found freedom.

28 survivors of forced scamming now home in Indonesia

28 survivors of forced scamming in Cambodia were repatriated to Indonesia earlier this month, with assistance from IJM, the Embassy of Indonesia, the Cambodian National Police and other organisations.

“I need to let the world know that this darkness happens every day.”

Jun Hao*, a survivor of forced scamming, knows how urgent it is to stop this crime. When Jun Hao left his home in Thailand for a promising job in Cambodia, he didn’t know he would end up fearing for his life.

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